Mr. Fairleigh
I don’t agree with every mandate that KSHAA sends down the pipe, but I have to agree with them on this one. My stance on the issue really isn’t on the same page as the KSHAA mandate, but instead the fairness or equity of public school student athlete vs. the home-schooled student. Put yourself in the position of the public school athlete. Athletes in the public school must maintain their grades according to their school’s eligibility requirements. The rigors of the classroom are usually more demanding than that of the home-schooled student. Remember I did say usually. They must also be in good standing with their teachers in the areas of behavior, showing up to class on time, and turning work in on time. In other words the public school athlete has to jump through many more hoops than the home-schooled student.
You state “if you choose to educate your child at home, he will not be able to compete with any of his peers at any school event.” A home-schooled student does not have any public school peers. (Peer: one of equal standing with another). As I stated before there is an equity issue between the two students. It is impossible to compare the equity of the two when there is no common requirements between the two. This is not something that can be based on grades alone. I’m sure that your requirements for your children are vastly different from my requirement for my students.
There are many reasons that parents choose to educate their kids at home and some of them I agree with, and others I don’t. From a position of a public school educator and as a coach if I’m ever required to coach home-schooled children I will resign. I’m not saying my position on the issue is the right one, but it is the one I believe in based on fairness and equity between students. Again, we both have our opinions on the issue, whose to say who is right and who is wrong.
Scott Neil
Social Studies Dept. Chair
Head Wrestling Coach
Basehor-Linwood High School
